SEP 17 (NEW YORK) - Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson announces the unsealing of a 97-count indictment against 27 alleged members of “6 Wild,” a subset of the Bloods gang, who are accused of committing murders, attempted murders, drug sales, and other crimes during a five year period ending August 20, 2015. Arrests overnight followed a six-month-long investigation conducted by the NYPD Gang Unit, the Bronx DA Gangs/Major Case Bureau and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York Division.

The following defendants were charged today in Bronx Supreme Court. Those who were present in the courtroom pleaded not guilty before Justice Steven Barrett:

[1] Already in custody
It is charged that members of the organization were responsible for Class A-1 felonies including Murder in the 2nd Degree, Operating as a Major Trafficker, and Conspiracy in the 1st Degree.

Other felonies charged include Manslaughter, Tampering with a Victim or Witness, Assault, Attempted Gang Assault, and varied drug and weapons charges.

The homicides that defendants are alleged to have committed include the December 2014 shooting death of Timothy Hairston outside a pharmacy on 165th Street and College Avenue, and the May, 2015 shooting death of Christopher Duran. They also stand charged with crimes for five non-fatal assaults, one of which was a stabbing. The rest were shootings.

It’s alleged that the accused conducted a reign of terror in and around the Melrose section of the Bronx, in the shadow of the courthouses, running their operations between 166th and 167th Street and College Avenue, and 164th to 167th Street between Grand Concourse and Clay Avenue. Older members of the gang are accused of recruiting young ones to do their bidding. Some of those charged, notably Julian Cepeda and Jeremiah Thomas, were barely into their teens when they allegedly joined up with 6 Wild.

The indictment charges that the leader, Cesar “Ces” Rivera, posted a hip-hop anthem to Facebook allegedly describing his alleged philosophy of letting the younger gangbangers do most of the action in regard to drugs, assaults and killings, because they, supposedly, would not face as much prison time.

District Attorney Johnson noted: “The leaders of this group are alleged to have not only participated in the worst of crimes in the Bronx, including killings, shootings, and spreading illegal drugs throughout the borough, they are charged with doing so in the worst way, by recruiting young teenagers to do their bidding.
“We remain dedicated to making the Bronx safe for all its residents and visitors.”

“As alleged, these members of 6 Wild participated in and promoted violent gang activity that eroded the quality of life for the people who live and work in the surrounding neighborhoods," said Police Commissioner William J. Bratton. "I commend the work of the investigators of the Bronx Gang Squad and the prosecutors of the Bronx District Attorney's Office for their work in keeping our Bronx communities safe."

DEA Special Agent in Charge James J. Hunt state, “These 27 alleged members of the ‘6 Wild’ gang were arrested on charges ranging from drug trafficking to murder. Unfortunately, we were not able to charge them with one of the most heinous crimes committed – recruiting youth in the Melrose area to follow their footsteps in drug trafficking and crime.”

The charges against these defendants are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The case against 6 Wild is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Assistant Christine Scaccia of the Bronx DA Gangs/Major Case Bureau and A.D.A. Sheryl Konigsberg of the Narcotics Bureau.